Army National Guard officer accused of driving armored personnel carrier off base claims he was ordered to do so

A soldier who drove an armored personnel carrier off a Virginia National Guard base says he was ordered to do so as part of a training exercise.

First Lt. Joshua Yabut, accused of driving the vehicle under the influence of drugs, calls the charges against him "completely bogus."

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"I didn't want to do it, but I believed it was a lawful order, and as a commissioned officer I was required to do so," Yabut said.

Yabut said in an interview with The Associated Press that he was first told of the training exercise by his commander a week before he drove the vehicle away from Fort Pickett on Tuesday. The 29-year-old Yabut was arrested after a two-hour police chase. He was charged with driving under the influence of drugs, unauthorized use of a National Guard vehicle and evading police.

1st Lt. Joshua Yabut is accused of driving the vehicle under the influence of drugs. (Richmond City Sheriff's Office via AP)

"I didn't just run in to an APC and drive it off," Yabut said. "It was prepped. It was prepared with 60 miles of fuel and soldiers assisted with the preparation."

A spokesperson for the Virginia National Guard denied the soldier's claim.

"Lt. Yabut was not authorized by the brigade commander or anyone else to drive the armored personnel carrier off Fort Pickett to any location for any reason," A. A. "Cotton" Puryear said.

The armored personnel carrier reached speeds of 45 mph. Police couldn't stop it, so they ended up escorting it before Yabut stopped and got out near City Hall.

"I think it's a scary situation, I didn't know at the time if, what kind of vehicle it was, if it had any weapons on it," Wendy Gibbs, who was driving in the area, told WTVR.

"Big Herm" Baskerville, who owns a restaurant near Yabut's apartment, told the station that he was relieved that the soldier "didn't decide to come home."

"I'm sincerely glad nothing came out of this other than wasting taxpayer money with people chasing him and gas money and stuff," he told WTVR. "But it's just nuts."

Yabut said he was not under the influence of illegal drugs, and that the only drug he has taken is a low dose of Lexapro, prescribed for anxiety after he returned from Afghanistan in 2009. He said the drug has never impacted his behavior.

A state trooper wrote in court documents that Yabut had "glassy eyes" and was "unsteady on his feet."

"I think the toxicology report will show that those charges are completely false, and I don't even know why I would be charged with that to begin with," Yabut said.

However, the trooper wrote that Yabut "had no idea where he was at that time." He added that Yabut's dilated pupils "are indicative of opioid use."